Is God Still Saving?
A short response to those who say God is now saving after
May 21, 2011
By Brother Mike (12-11-11; 12 minutes)

Hello beloved brethren in our Lord Jesus Christ! Recently I have been being hit with the question as to whether God is now saving people once again. Apparently Family Radio is now even declaring the possibility of salvation. In fact, Mr. Camping's special announcement dated December 4th on their home page says that salvation will be taking place right on up to the very end of the world. So what do I think about this? Well, as much as I do respect Mr. Camping, this is another one of those things of which I cannot agree with him on, and in this message, I hope to give some of the reasons why I cannot agree with him.

First of all, we spent years learning and seeing by many evidences and proofs that
May 21
would begin Judgment Day and bring an end to salvation. Although Judgment Day did not literally take place as was once thought; nevertheless, due to all the evidence and proof, we still believe Judgment Day must have began on
May 21
, but not in an outward and literal way, but in an entirely spiritual way. This completely spiritual nature of
May 21
is in perfect accord with the spiritual nature of all the other end-time dates as well such as the end of the church age on May 21, 1988 and the beginning of the latter rain on September 7, 1994.

Now we learned a long time ago that
May 21
ended any possibility of salvation.
May 21
was the end of the final great tribulation, and scripture teaches that salvation would end immediately after the great tribulation. We read of this in Matthew 24,

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven . . .

This told us in parabolic language that immediately after the tribulation any possibility for salvation would be finished. The darkening of the sun, the moon, and the stars falling from heaven all symbolize the end of the light of the gospel to the world. So on what legitimate basis are there those who are now saying salvation is possible once again?

Here is what Mr. Camping, president of Family Radio, says in his December 4, 2011 update,

"Indeed, Christ tells us in John 9:5 that as long as He is in the world, He is the light of the world. The light of the world has everything to do with salvation. Jesus is the light of the world, and since nothing shows the light has gone out, that emphasizes that salvation has to still be possible."

What does he mean nothing shows the light has gone out? Remember what we just read in Mt. 24:29,

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven . . .

Clearly, immediately after the tribulation of those days, which we learned a long time ago began on May 21, the spiritual light of the world as symbolized by the sun being darkened, the moon not giving her light, and the stars falling from heaven would go out. We read of this time period after May 21 in Revelation 9 as well,

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Notice that the scripture once again says the sun was darkened. This is clear symbolism revealing the end to salvation; the light of the gospel has gone out. Revelation 9 further speaks of this period after May 21 like this,

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

We had learned by this verse that during the time after May 21 men would seek death; that is, they would seek for salvation by spiritual death in Jesus Christ, but they would not find it because salvation is no longer available.

Now nothing to my knowledge has rescinded these teachings, so why is it that people are so quick to now say that salvation is now available once again? There is nothing that has reversed these scriptures. Where does scripture say that the sun is no longer darkened? Where does scripture say that the moon is once again shining its light? Where in scripture have the stars been re-established to once again shine forth their light? I am afraid that unless this can be clearly shown in scripture, then it makes no biblical sense at all to now say there is now salvation available again.

Jesus said in John 9,

4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

I believe we are now in that time period in which no man can work; that is, the work of bringing forth the light of the gospel has ended ever since May 21. On May 21 spiritual judgment began with no more salvation possible and it now continues until God's people are raptured into the new heaven and the new earth. We see this in the typology of the flood in Noah's day. Once the flood waters struck, judgment continued with no possibility for salvation right on up to when Noah and his family finally touched dry ground 370 days later. Likewise, once the spiritual flood waters struck on May 21, they will continue until God's people touch dry ground in the new heaven and new earth. Remember what Christ taught: as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man.

This period of judgment from May 21 until the very end is also expressed in Revelation 22,

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

In other words, from May 21 till the End, salvation is no longer possible; therefore, those who are unjust will remain unjust, and he which is filthy will remain filthy still, and he that is righteous, or saved before May 21, will remain saved, and so on.

I think the best way to view the time period in which we now find ourselves is pictured in the flood account of Noah's day. Once the flood waters struck, the door was shut with no hope for salvation for anyone outside the Ark any longer. The focus of Noah then changed from being that of warning the world to that of caring for his family and the animals in the Ark. This should be our focus too: to care for one another in the Ark of the salvation of Jesus Christ. Ever since May 21, the light of the world is no longer shining, and so our focus is no longer to bring the gospel to the world, but to care for one another in the Ark. And, according to the account of the flood, this will be the way it is until the flood waters of judgment have completely disappeared when God's people are raptured into heaven on dry ground.

But doesn't scripture say to occupy until I come? Absolutely, but "to occupy" means something different than it meant before May 21. Before May 21, "to occupy" meant to continue to bringing the gospel to the world, but after May 21, it means to continue caring for God's people while praying and watching for dry ground or heaven.

Isaiah sums it all up quite well when he says,

Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over past.

The spiritual flood waters still surround us, and we are in the Ark with the door shut, hiding ourselves for a little while, until the indignation (God's judgment) be over past. Then just like Noah, we will finally hear the command to step from the Ark onto the dry ground of heaven.